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Badal’s pictures removed from ambulance, cycles
Abohar, December 24
Even when most of the people in the sub-division could not tune in to their TV sets to get details of the announcement made by the Election Commission on poll schedule due to daylong power cut, it had immediate impact in some circles.

White sheet have been pasted on the portraits of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the 108 emergency ambulance vans. White sheet have been pasted on the portraits of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the 108 emergency ambulance vans. Tribune photo

Demanding pay hike, now STR teachers sit atop water tank
Gill Patti (Bathinda), December 24
Just a day after Punjab government conceded the demands of the Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) teachers, who were protesting to get their jobs regularised, altogether 11 members of the Special Trainer Resource Teachers’ Union sat atop the Water Works tank at around 5.30 in the evening in village Gill Patti, situated a few kms away from Bathinda.

EARLIER STORIES

	Confusion over Badal’s constituency cleared December 24, 2011
	Breach in canal system damages standing crops December 23, 2011
	Sukhbir inaugurates Joga sub-tehsil December 22, 2011
	Urea shortage: Pvt dealers ‘blackmailing’ farmers December 21, 2011
	Work to prepare ‘Cancer Atlas’ in Punjab begins December 20, 2011
	Centre to spend Rs 2-cr on facelift of hospital December 19, 2011
	Cops gear up for traffic management on highways December 18, 2011
	Stone laid for Rs 1,500-cr mega textile park December 17, 2011
	PPP to announce its list of candidates soon December 16, 2011

Contractual employees of Sports Dept end stir
Gidderbaha, December 24
The coaches and other staff recruited by the state sports department on contractual basis, today ended their agitation after getting an assurance from the state government on accepting their major demands.

Schools celebrate X’mas in Abohar
Abohar, December 24
St. Alphonsa Convent School here was among scores of educational institutions at Abohar and neighbouring Sriganganagar region that celebrated Christmas today.

Counterfeit Indian currency seized
Ferozepur, December 24
Alert sleuths of the Border Security Force (BSF) today thwarted a bid by the anti-national agencies operating from Pakistan to push Fake Indian Currency Notes ( FICN) inside the Indian territory and apprehended FICN amounting to Rs 10 lakh from an area along the Zero Line close to the border outpost ‘Tapu’ in this sector.

Five get 14-year jail term for spying
Faridkot, December 24
Five persons, including a ex-army man, accused of spying and supplying Pakistan-made-counterfeit Indian currency in Punjab have been awarded 14 years of jail term each by the court of additional and district sessions judge, Faridkot, today.

Distribution of cash, liquor prohibited
Bathinda, December 24
The District Election Officer, in a press release issued here on Saturday has informed the public that distribution of cash, liquor or any other items for gratification of the voters amounts to bribery and is a punishable offence.

	Badal’s pictures removed from ambulance, cycles Raj Sadosh Abohar, December 24 Even when most of the people in the sub-division could not tune in to their TV sets to get details of the announcement made by the Election Commission on poll schedule due to daylong power cut, it had immediate impact in some circles. The Health Department staff at the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital pasted white sheets using cello tape on the portraits of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the 108 emergency ambulance vans instead of removing the same in compliance of the instructions received from the state headquarters. Some parents were quick enough to remove CM Badal’s photos from the bicycles that were gifted to attract girl students in government schools under the Mai Bhago scheme. “The photo had inculcated inferiority complex in our daughter,” one Surjan Singh explained, adding, “she feels shy in using it. Moreover, the bicycle is to be exclusively used during Christmas holidays now for domestic needs, why to propagate an individual leader,” he added. Consumer movement activists resented that the local authorities had not complied with the previous directions issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to remove hoardings from the crossings and highways. Regretfully, the hoardings carry huge pictures of the local Municipal Council president besides other functionaries of the ruling alliance partners under one or the other pretext with the hidden agenda of carrying political messages, NGO chairperson Satpal Khariwal said. The NGO has prepared a list of more than hundred such hoardings to submit it to the EC and HC.
	Demanding pay hike, now STR teachers sit atop water tank Nikhila Pant Dhawan Tribune News Service Gill Patti (Bathinda), December 24 Just a day after Punjab government conceded the demands of the Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) teachers, who were protesting to get their jobs regularised, altogether 11 members of the Special Trainer Resource Teachers’ Union sat atop the Water Works tank at around 5.30 in the evening in village Gill Patti, situated a few kms away from Bathinda. Teachers of this union teach non-school going children in the age-group of 6-14. Speaking to The Tribune over the phone, head of the union, Satnam Singh said, “Government has accepted the demands of the EGS teachers who were protesting. We thought their way of protest will work for us as well. Under a government initiative we teach children who donot go to schools. We are paid a paltry sum of Rs 2,000 per month, as compared to a much higher pay of a regular government school teacher. We are also equally qualified. We want the government to pay attention to understand our plight and accept our demands like it did in the case of EGS teachers. We demand equal pay for equal work.” Giving a cold shoulder to the chill, Satnam Singh said dying protesting in the cold weather is far better than accepting the injustice and the “way government is joking with us”. He also said that if the government fails to pay attention to their demands, the members may immolate themselves. Later, SHO, Nehianwala, Angrez Singh, while talking over the phone in the evening, told the TNS that talks were on with the protestors. He said, “They have climbed down the tank. They will be sitting at the site in protest and say that they want to meet the CM on Monday and if the meeting is held, they will end the protest.”
	Contractual employees of Sports Dept end stir Tribune News Service Gidderbaha, December 24 The coaches and other staff recruited by the state sports department on contractual basis, today ended their agitation after getting an assurance from the state government on accepting their major demands. Two senior sports officials, who had come from Ferozepur and Ludhiana with the message of Director Sports Department that their demands have been conceded, also offered juice to the two coaches, on hunger strike for the last few days. They assured the protesters that the contractual employees would be given priority in the regular recruitment of the department.
	Schools celebrate X’mas in Abohar Our Correspondent Abohar, December 24 St. Alphonsa Convent School here was among scores of educational institutions at Abohar and neighbouring Sriganganagar region that celebrated Christmas today. The students through choreography did a brief depiction of the birth of Jesus Christ in a crib in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. The presence of Santa Claus, three kings, angels, shepherds etc. filled the children with joy. Principal Jijoe Augustian gave the Christmas message of peace and love. He recalled contributions of Saint Nicholas who used to drop gifts at the doorsteps of the poor and needy.
	Counterfeit Indian currency seized Our Correspondent Ferozepur, December 24 Alert sleuths of the Border Security Force (BSF) today thwarted a bid by the anti-national agencies operating from Pakistan to push Fake Indian Currency Notes ( FICN) inside the Indian territory and apprehended FICN amounting to Rs 10 lakh from an area along the Zero Line close to the border outpost ‘Tapu’ in this sector. Giving details, Rajesh Gupta, DIG, BSF Sector Headquarters, Ferozepur, said that the consignment of FICN was retrieved from the area near border pillar no 177/6 following a search operation launched by sleuths belonging to 80th Battalion after some movement was spotted near the border in the wee hours today. He said the FICN was concealed in a polythene bag under a plastic pipe around 100 metres from Zero Line in the fields which belonged to Balkar Singh of village Kotli. The DIG said that there had been reports about the possible attempts to push FICN inside India following which the sleuths deployed along the border had already been asked to remain extra vigilant. Earlier, the intelligence agencies had also expressed apprehensions about the FICN being smuggled into the Indian territory for use during the assembly election in the state amidst the electorate, especially in the rural hinterland along the Zero Line. The DIG said that till date, Fake Indian Currency Notes amounting to Rs 40 lakh had already been seized from the area along the Indo-Pak international border this year. It is pertinent to mention that the fake notes seized by the BSF today exhibited a very high degree of sophistication. They had different serial numbers, indicating that they have not been printed from a scanned image of a genuine note by using coloured scanners and printers, but has been printed on a large scale at some printing press with advanced technology and specialized paper, inks and other materials.